Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Saturn Turns Retrograde April 5 - August 25, 2017

Whenever we experience either a planetary change in direction, or a change of sign, there is a responsive change within our respective worlds too.

Today's change in Saturn's direction, from Direct to Rx (Retrograde) within the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius, brings home (deep Within or inward or up close and personal) a related change down here on Earth beginning at 11:06pm MDT April 5, 2017.

How many of you have noticed a slowing down of time this week, whereby the hours seem to have slowed way down, leaving lots of TIME to deal with tasks, thoughts, conversations, etc? I keep looking at the clock thinking I've lived more than one day already today! LOL! This is Saturn, Father Time, at play.

Saturn's themes, gleaned from Liz Greene's "SATURN: A New Look at an Old Devil" 1976, are as follows:
  • Saturn's process is via the psyche + experiences we undergo to learn more about Self via pain, restriction and discipline. We use these experiences for greater consciousness and Self-fulfillment.
  • Psychology plays out within the individual psyche as a motive or compulsion toward Wholeness or Completeness, symbolized as the archetype of SELF - showing all facets and sides of human qualities to be contained in a harmonious way within the Whole - what we are all striving for throughout our respective lifetimes.
  • Saturn's psychic process shows how we realize our Inner experience deep Within via the psyche - what we LEARN from those painful experiences and the difference between External Values (that which we acquire from Others) and Internal Values (those we've worked to discover Within Self, over TIME).
  • Consider Saturn's archetype/mythology to be like Beauty and the Beast, whereby it is only when the BEAST is loved for his/her own true sake can he/she be freed from the spell and become the Prince/Princess that has always existed deep Within.
  • Saturn's Virtues = self-control + tact + thrift + caution.
  • Saturn's Vices - operate through the emotion of FEAR!
  • Saturn is considered the Bringer Of: Limitation, Frustration, Hard Work, Self-Denial, Wisdom and Self-Discipline, usually without Humour!
  • Saturn's position via Astrological Sign and House within your birth chart shows the area of Life Experience where you feel thwarted in Self-expression, most likely FRUSTRATED or met with difficulties throughout your life.
  • Saturn as the "Lord of Karma": means Saturn seems to NOT be connected with any weakness or flaw within you, rather it is more CIRCUMSTANCES (be they Fated or Destined) that seem to 'just happen' to you.
  • The Ancients called Saturn the "Dweller at the Threshold" or "Keeper of the Keys to the Gate" - it is through Saturn alone that we may achieve eventual freedom through Self-understanding - which to me totally explains WHY Astrology works so well and naturally as a tool for ONGOING and timely (!) Self-awareness!
  • Frustrating experiences (especially those that keep repeating themselves within our life) connected with Saturn are necessary to TEACH us in practical and psychological ways. As humans, typically, we don't attempt true Self-discovery until things become SO PAINFUL that we have no other choice but to DO something about it! And the GIFT is that there can be JOY in the finding the root cause of said pain...just saying!
  • Having a STRONG Saturn influence in your life means experiencing: repeated delays, disappointments and fears. And each of us has our own unique PROCESS of how many TIMES we need to learn what we need to learn from those PAINS (could be 5, or 500). It is truly different for each individual on the planet. Along the way we LEARN Patience + Self-Control and a POSITIVE ATTITUDE...in the end! And also to ask, "WHY?!" along the way. Each delay, disappointment or fear can be used for GREATER insight into our respective mysteries of the psyche - why we all tick the way we do!
  • Repressed Emotions: within the world of the Unconscious, we create our reality due to the thoughts we think - As Within, So Without - bringing forth reality that is expressed outwardly as patterns of experience. Our unique processes of HOW we learn about ourselves. These experiences can come via people and/or circumstances/experiences that seem synchronistic, where our Inner Life is mirrored/reflected by the Outer Life.
  • It is up to each of us to make an effort to EXPAND our consciousness to understand our true natures, as it unfolds, and to cooperate with it. Otherwise we may feel to be a "pawn of fate" with no control over our lives.
  • LONELINESS can be a channel of Saturn in our life - whereby only "I" can undergo this journey to the WHOLE SELF that is ME - and where we feel we are the ONLY ONES undergoing this process - suffering in silence so to speak! Hence why Astrology works so well with my clients and students and followers - we all learn that "I'm not alone in this process! Yay! And here are some tools to use! Yay!" along the way...
  • Saturn, as an Alchemist of Change, tells us to: Be Persistent, Look for the Gold (aka Gift), Find the Wisdom AND Humour along the way!
Saturn has been travelling through Sagittarius since September 19, 2015. Look back to 'see' where your life was at then, compared to now. Saturn in Sagittarius, ruling the 9th House of Life Experience (of the natural wheel of the Zodiac) brings forth the themes of:
  • Symbolically, the House of Long Journeys - physically and the increased consciousness and broadened perspective of the mind - aka Seeking Your Higher Truth - through travel, other cultures, philosophies, religion, and the esoteric studies/mysteries. Nothing is taken at face value - be it a person, thing or experience - there is always another layer of meaning to be found. Therefore a dual awareness of seeing the larger meaning within the smaller experience.
  • Sagittarius rules the 9th House with Jupiter as planetary ruler, and its opposite sign, Gemini, rules the 3rd House of gathering information with Mercury as its planetary ruler. Jupiter pertains to the discovery of meaning that emerges when the information discovered through Mercury/Gemini in the 3rd House is put into perspective via the mind and any physical journeys we take as we visit other cultures and their histories and philosophies aka Spiritual Laws - not usually well understood due to their reflection in human behaviour - archetypes - the reasons for life here on Earth.
  • Jupiter is the symbol for the intuition whereas Mercury is the symbol for the mind. Non-logical vs. logical in other words. "As Above, So Below" the ancient Hermetic phrase expressing the meaning of life as a whole.
  • Therefore the 9th House is connected to the intuition and perception of meaning in broader areas of religion and philosophy - our search for "Why am I Here? What's my Purpose?"
  • Saturn moving through Sagittarius effects how we all view life and perceive our reason for being here. How we find meaning for being here. Faith, trust in an entity beyond the physical - or not. Temporal or spiritual authority - which do you believe to be true? Whatever it is - is true for you.
  • FEARS we are processing and hopefully healing since September 2015 will surface re: disillusionment of authority in our respective pasts - whatever this means in your world - be it persons, institutions, God/Great Spirit - there may be a rebuilding of what this truly MEANS in your life since 2015. Fears of being rejected for BELIEVING what you truly believe to be true - for you - and speaking out about these beliefs. As in "yes! I am intuitive and spiritual rather than logical and dogmatic or religious!" or vice versa! Either are okay as long as they are your true beliefs. Walking your talk in other words. Be TRUE to your faith/beliefs.
  • Be aware of crystallization of those beliefs - have you outgrown the dogma? Is it just habit now? Is it time to upgrade how and what you truly believe re: the how/why of your reason for being? Guilt, structure, punishment and law vs. an emphasis on life, quality, inner meaning and individual growth - what is truer for you, now?
The previous time Saturn journeyed through Sagittarius was from November 18, 1985 to November 13, 1988. Think back to what age you were back then, what did you believe to be true for your philosophy of life - and was it YOURS or what you adopted from your family of origin or culture or society? And is it still TRUE for you today? What's changed? And are you due for another upgrade from where you've journeyed since 1985-1988? Ethical values, faith, and beliefs are all part of this too.

March 25, 2016 until August 13, 2016 was the last time Saturn was Rx within Sagittarius during his current journey through Sagittarius. Whenever a planet supposedly goes backward or Rx (Retrograde) the usual outward/Direct energy is now more inwardly focused - personalized - and somehow "in your face" with people, events, and circumstances making it LOUDER for us to take notice and listen, think and talk about. What was LOUD and CLEAR to you during this timing?

Take TIME and compare it to NOW, as Saturn turns Rx tonight until it goes Direct again August 25, 2017. Interestingly, the cosmic longitude shows Saturn at 27 degrees Sagittarius and 48' Rx - right on top of the Galactic Centre of the Milky Way! Saturn's been hovering back and forth over the Galactic Centre since February, peaking now, and will continue to activate it until early June. The Rx motion of Saturn causes all of us to SLOW down, take TIME to contemplate all of the above-mentioned themes and FEARS preventing us from expanding our consciousness in some way. What are your fears?

Being so directly connected to the Galactic Centre tells me we are all re-evaluating our beliefs about God/Creator/Great Spirit - whomever you believe to BE, beyond your physical world. And deeply so. We will not be able to steer away from it. It is fascinating that the movie, "The Shack" is playing in theatres here in Calgary right now too - and I was given the book to read over the weekend! Check both of them out - makes for interesting conversations, thoughts and inner reflection of HOW we're DOing our journey while BEing human! And what you believe to be TRUE about all of it.

Turn your fears into faith, belief and ethical values - in some way. Saturn IS Father Time - so take your time doing so. Let go, surrender in some way to what is TRUE for you!

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